Miracle on the Hudson’ Pilot Sully Sullenberger Inducted Into Aviation Hall of Fame
Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, renowned for safely landing US Airways Flight 1549 in New York City’s Hudson River during a 2009 emergency, was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, September 24, 2026. The honor arrives two months after the 75-year-old retired pilot and former U.S. Ambassador to ICAO publicly disclosed an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.
The 2026 Induction and a Lifetime of Service
Sullenberger participated in the Washington, D.C. enshrinement ceremony remotely by video. He expressed gratitude to the organization and congratulated his fellow class members.
“I want to congratulate the other inductees on lifetimes of accomplishments.”
The six-member Class of 2026 includes prominent aerospace figures such as NASA astronauts Shannon Lucid and Peggy Whitson, alongside aviation researchers. While Sullenberger acknowledged that the 2009 Hudson River landing played a central role in his recognition, he emphasized the broader scope of his career.
“My career was much more than one flight,” Sullenberger said. “From a very young age, I knew I wanted to fly airplanes. That was the beginning of a lifetime following that dream. I was so fortunate to spend an entire working lifetime doing something I loved.”
Miracle on the Hudson Background
On January 15, 2009, Sullenberger was piloting US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 that departed from LaGuardia Airport in New York City bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. The aircraft carried 150 passengers and five crew members.
Beyond his airline career spanning nearly three decades, Sullenberger served as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and later as the U.S. representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Speaking Openly About Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
The induction coincides with a significant personal chapter for Sullenberger. In July 2026, he revealed that he is living with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
“This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service,” Sullenberger said in a statement shared at the time. “And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward.”
In a subsequent interview with ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday, Sullenberger reflected on his initial reaction to the diagnosis, describing feelings of shock and asking why the condition affected him.
“We’re part of this community who are trying to make the best of a bad situation,” he said.
His wife, Lorrie Sullenberger, echoed those sentiments during the broadcast, emphasizing the importance of removing the social stigma surrounding cognitive decline.
“This is a disease – not a character flaw,” Lorrie Sullenberger said on Good Morning America. “I think we need to talk about it more openly, and maybe other people can do the same.”
According to data from the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 7.4 million Americans aged 65 and older live with clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, with roughly three out of four individuals aged 75 or older. Sullenberger's public disclosure aims to bring greater visibility to families dealing with similar medical diagnoses.